This paper presents the fi ndings of a four country study conducted by the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacifi c
– International through its affi liates in Fiji Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Kiribati to demonstrate the linkage between
young men, mental health and violence in the Pacifi c. The fi ndings common among the four studies arise from the sociocultural
and economic transitions occurring across the Pacifi c Region, where recent years have shown that the Pacifi c
lifestyle has become increasingly stressful and violent. Limited opportunity to participate in the modern lifestyle and its
economy has led to personal mental stress, social exclusion, unemployment and the growth of a subgroup of disaffected
young people, who resort to a range of means to acquire their daily needs and, among whom, the norms that govern the
use of violence differ from those of the general community.